David Cutcliffe: "We were hitting it and getting it done"

Coach's opening comments after Georgia Tech win

Coach David Cutcliffe was pleased with Duke’s performance in Saturday’s 41-23 win over Georgia Tech.

“I’m really proud of our team and their preparation. I’m proud of our team for the way they practiced Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They were prepared. It kind of made you wonder the opening drive (where Georgia Tech went 75 yards for a touchdown). After that, our defense settled in and did what we thought they could do.

“Offensively, we had an outstanding first half, as you well know. We played with an edge. Quentin (Harris) was on target. We had a couple young receivers make fine plays. You’re always excited to have true freshmen contribute. I thought our running backs ran with authority.

“We’re a pretty beat-up team in a lot of different areas, so we’ve got to find a way to healthy fast. I want to mention Vic Dimukeje. How about that performance? They came at times we needed it: three sacks, terrific effort. This is a guy that’s just going to get better and better as we go.”

The team only scored three second-half points after going up 38-7 late in the first half.

“The lesson for us is we play well with an edge,” Cutcliffe said. “We’ve got to have that edge. We’ve got to learn to play well when we’re ahead. The best football teams get better when they get the lead. … We had a cluster of points, and the reason we did is we were hitting it and getting it done.”